A restless night
by Lukin08
Summary: It's been several nights since Kristoff as had any sleep. A new change has come into Anna and Kristoff's life and this is a thought on how they manage through the very beginning stages.


Kristoff let out a groan as his eyes blinked open. In the dark of the night, his bearings were off and he didn't recognize where he was. For a moment, panic set in. He tried to assess his surroundings. He was lying on his stomach. Where? On the floor? No, too soft. He was in a bed- somewhere familiar. In his cabin? No, too comfortable. He was in the palace. In a room- one of the bedrooms. In _his_ room, he supposed. There was a dim light emitting throughout as well as a noise across the room that should definitely _not_ be there. His hand snapped down to reach for his hatchet and when it touched the handle, it confirmed at least where he was. Keeping the hatchet in the room was an old habit he picked up from living in the mountains; his own security blanket he figured. Kristoff knew he was safe in the palace, but there was something that made him keep it between the mattresses, just in case. He silently thanked himself for storing it there as he now had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to protect something important. It was a sense he hadn't felt before and it consumed his entire being.

Waiting for an indication if he needed to pull out the weapon, he heard a faint, familiar hum near him. He relaxed and released his hand, turning over on his left side towards the sound. He felt a rustling next to him and tried to process what was going on as his brain was still struggling to catch up to what was transpiring. He looked through bleary eyes to see a young woman he did not recognize standing near the bed holding a lantern. She was staring at him intently, eyes locked on his chest. He looked down, remembering he was shirtless and the sheets were down at his waist. Her gaze made him shift uncomfortably and his movement broke the woman out of her stare. She cleared her throat and turned her attention away from him and moved toward the bed.

His eyes followed her to over to the side of the bed where Anna was. _Anna._ She was shifting up in the bed and the unknown woman had placed the lantern on the side table and was now putting a pillow behind her.

"You alright?" he managed to croak out, his voice low and hoarse from lack of sleep. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Everything's fine, love," he heard Anna say. "Now go back to sleep."

"Mmn'K." She didn't need to tell him twice. Whoever was in the room seemed welcomed by her, so he pushed the confusion out of his mind. His eyes were heavy. He'd experienced fatigue before- too often from work or his body being beat by a winter storm, but never from mere lack of sleep. He hadn't slept at all the last two days; one night from worry and the last for events he could not control. In addition to the two sleepless nights, it had been over a week since Kristoff had a truly restful slumber. Never in his life had he felt so tired. It was a thought that a month from now, future Kristoff would laugh out loud at as he did not yet know what true exhaustion was.

Kristoff had just drifted back to sweet sleep when the door open and the annoying light was back, drifting towards the bed. "What's going on?" he asked, eyes still shut.

"He needs to feed," the nurse snapped at him. Kristoff felt that she was incredibly annoyed he was in the room.

With her words, Kristoff's reality caught up and he thought of Anna. Less than 24 hours ago she had given birth to their first child, a son, and now sat next to him in their bed with her arms stretched out to the baby. He could hear the soft whimpers coming from the bundle that was being passed to her. It had been a long two days. He hadn't slept well all week, with the impending birth weighing heavily on his mind. Two nights ago, he lay awake all night with worry of Anna and the baby's safety but mostly of his ability to be a good father. The next afternoon, Anna had started her labor pains that lasted through the night. Joseff wasn't born until mid- morning the next day. Kristoff still didn't get any sleep after that. Even for the short moments Anna was able to nap, he was still all nervous energy. He found himself wandering the palace halls. He spoke with Elsa on and off as she visited a few times during the day. He fetched Anna food, who was ravenous after the delivery. And with Anna's agreement found and brought both Gerda and Kai up to meet the baby. The rest of the time was spent quietly together as the new family became acquainted with each other.

In the evening, after bathing and examining Anna a final time, the midwife declared Anna well enough to leave the guest room they were in and settle back in their bedroom. Kristoff had wanted to carry Anna back, but the midwife insisted walking would be good for the princess. He held her for every wobbly step back to their room.

The nurses were something he could live without. When Anna was pregnant, she and Kristoff decided that they wanted as little interference in raising their child as possible. However, they did agree to allow nurses to assist during the first week or two. It would afford them some much needed rest and the women would be monitoring the baby to ensure he was healthy. It was a good, practical idea, but Anna, bucking many traditions, had already clashed with two of the nurses over how involved they were allowed to be and how she and Kristoff should be interacting with their son. They were constantly hovering and seemed to look at him with disdain. Kristoff wondered if the attitude was directed solely at him or for all fathers they came in contact with. At least the oldest nurse did seem to soften slightly when he asked her to show him how to change Joseff's diaper. He managed to only get scolded twice by them for holding the baby incorrectly whenever one would come in to attend to the child. He silently cursed at them, but held back from saying anything. Nothing was going to ruin this day and the feeling of absolute love he now held for two precious beings.

"Already?" Kristoff asked with his nose crunched up. "What time is it?"

Anna laughed tiredly. "Midnight and you slept straight through the last feeding."

"How can something so small need to eat so much?" Kristoff mumbled.

"He's a growing boy," chuckled Anna

"Do you have any additional needs, your highness?" asked the nurse.

"No, Sigrid. Thank you."

"And are you still sure you don't require a wet nurse for his next feedings so you may rest?"

"Again, no. But thank you. I will handle all of Joseff's meals," Anna responded.

The nurse let out a small sight. "As you wish. But there is no need for you to go without sleep. If you change your mind-"

"Then I will let you know," interrupted Anna.

Kristoff watched the nurse exit the room, pulling the door behind her. He then sat up and saw the baby was already nursing on her left breast. He turned away. "I'll give you some privacy," he muttered as he went to get up from the bed.

Her free hand caught his arm. "Kristoff. No. Please stay. You don't ever have to leave during this. I'd... I'd rather you stay," she ended quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want you here with us. Unless you're uncomfortable, then I understand if you want to go."

Kristoff smiled warmly at her and moved to get back in bed. He pushed himself against the headboard and scooted over as close to Anna as he could get. He then wrapped his left arm around Anna and she leaned into his chest and gave a contented sigh. Kristoff rubbed his eyes to remove some of the sleep away for the time being and attempted to stay awake. He looked down to Joseff.

"I still feel bad for the poor guy, getting my nose," Kristoff said only part jokingly

"Kristoff! Stop. There's nothing wrong with his nose. It suits him, just like it suits you. He'll be as handsome as can be when he grows up if he stays as beautiful as he is now."

"I think you're a little biased."

"Maybe just a bit, but he does look a whole lot like you. He even has blond hair. So, I think he's got a pretty good fighting chance."

"Okay, now you're just delusional from lack of sleep if you're basing it on my looks," he snorted. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" he asked as his fingers ran up and down her arm. "But he has your features too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" She asked.

"Well, his mouth is the same as yours. And while I hope he will share the same color eyes as you, I can already see the shape is the same. Oh, and he has a set of lungs on him. That _definitely_ comes from you. And he sure is opinionated and wants his way. That…"

" _That_ he gets from both sides," she interjected

Joseff interrupted the conversation, squirming and fussing and Anna shifted him. He protested again with a loud cry until he greedily latched on to her other breast. His right arm flailed and Kristoff reached over to calm him. Joseff grabbed Kristoff's index finger and pulled it to his chest, nestling back into his meal, now content. Kristoff felt a rush of warmth in his chest and remembered exactly who his fierce desire of protection was focused on. Never would he have imagined how intense his love would be for a child he had only met a few hours ago.

"Kristoff?" Anna said in a whisper.

"Yes?"

"We have a son," she said reverently

He bent down and kissed Joseff's forehead. "A beautiful, healthy son," he responded right before pressing his lips to her temple.

"Oh God, we're parents!" Anna exclaimed

He chuckled. "I think we're in trouble."

"I know. It's a terrifying thought!"

They both laughed and Joseff made a grunt in protest. "Hush now you," Anna said. "We don't need grief from you as well."

"You're stuck with us whether you like it or not," Kristoff added.

Anna quieted. After a few moments, she said. "Kristoff. I really am scared."

"I know baby," Kristoff said. "I am too. But I imagine most new parents are."

"How are we going to do this?"

"We'll muddle through it somehow, I suppose."

"Together," she said.

"Always," he affirmed

Once Joseff was done feeding, Kristoff scooped him up and walked him out to the room across the hall to hand over to Sigrid for the next few hours. He got back into bed and carefully moved closer to Anna, who had already laid down and had her back to him. He needed to be close to her. He leaned forward and kissed his favorite spot just behind her ear and wrapped his arm around her.

"Is this alright? I'm not hurting you, am I? I imagine you must be in a lot of pain" he asked.

"No. No, this is perfect. Please don't let go."

When the nurse came in again to wake Anna, they had not moved from their embrace. They started what would soon be routine for them. Anna sat up, but this time, Kristoff fixed her pillows and made sure she was comfortable. Anna leaned into Kristoff as Joseff was handed to her to nurse.

After a while, Kristoff let out a yawn as he raked his hand through his hair.

"You don't have to stay up for this, love," Anna said. "I don't have much of a choice, but there's no sense in both of us being miserable."

"Hey," Kristoff said. "What did we just talk about? We're in this together. I meant it. Now if a certain someone would finish up, we may be able to get a few more hours sleep before the suns up."

Later, when Joseff was back again with the nurses, and Kristoff had fallen straight asleep, Anna leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She knew how truly lucky she was to have this man who loved her as deeply as he did. Her life could have ended up so different and the thought of not having Kristoff by her side made a shiver run through her. Kristoff grumbled in his sleep and pulled her closer to him. Despite his worry, Anna already knew he'd be a great father to Joseff and to any other children she hoped God would grant them. Together she felt like they could take on the world. She whispered in his ear, "I love you Kristoff Bjorgman," as she settled into sleep with him.


End file.
